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Saturday, December 21, 2013

You know all of those Christmas Carols about family… About
being together…

“I’ll be home for Christmas…”

“All I want for Christmas is you”

The classics.

Well they really have a new meaning when you actually can’t
be home for Christmas. I ask myself, “What’s Christmas without family (and Mom's lasagna), really?”
Not much.

So I’m going to encourage you to take a moment or two this
year to really, reaaaallly take it in and appreciate everyone around you. Even
your annoying uncle Joe who makes inappropriate jokes and your arrogant cousin
Janet who can’t stop bragging about her new job.

So many different personalities from the same pool of blood
coming together to create one hot and hilarious mess. Just take it all in! Love
it, enjoy it and have a lot of laughs. Family is important and they’re all dysfunctional
(so, you’re not alone). Even if the
conversations always turn to pension and high taxes… and you find yourself
wanting to bury yourself in the ground, it’s your family. They are always there for you, and, you know what?
They are pretty cool.

Aside from family, there’s probably nothing more suited to
Christmas than Gingerbread.

This cake is up on my list as one of my faves. I absolutely
adore it. The aroma alone will bring a huge grin to your face and warm
fuzziness to your heart. It is slightly dense, yet very soft and moist. The
molasses flavour marries with butter and spice so much so that you’ll think
someone’s mixed all of the ingredients of a happy Christmas into a baking pan.

It is based on a traditional butter cake that uses the
creaming method, but also includes a healthy dose of molasses to keep it
wonderfully moist, soft and delicately caramelly with that adoring licorice
flavour.

Gingerbread automatically calls for spices. Here we use
ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a harmonious balance. If they've been in your cupboard for more than a year, please toss them. Let's start fresh.

In this lovely cake, butter (as opposed to vegetable oil) is
such an efficient vehicle to carry the spices and mold them into one enticing
flavour. Oil would not have the same effect, and instead of a smooth carry-over
of spice, you’ll get random spikes of sharp spice notes at different
intensities. Butter is a base, a canvas, a smoother-overer and an enhancer. Vote
butter!

Can we talk about his glaze? Ohhh mama, this glaze.

You might want to make a double batch… It is holy. It is
devine. Buttery, a hint of molasses, a hint of spice. Perfect. Butter is the
star once again.

First you make something like a rich butterscotch sauce, enhance it with a bit of cinnamon and then let it cool. Then you beat in softened butter until it looks thick, creamy and soooo velvety. When this glaze sets, it is almost like very soft fudge. You might scrape it off the slice you cut for your husband and add it to yours because he probably wont notice.

I hope you have a wonderful celebration this holiday season.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, take time to
celebrate family, health, happiness and the fact that you are able to provide.

Enjoy each other and LOVE!

xo Christina.

Gingerbread Cake with Cinnamon Butter Glaze

Makes one 8-inch round
cake

1 2/3 cups (235 g) all-purpose flour

¾ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp each ground nutmeg and ground clove

½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/3 cup fancy molasses or treacle

2/3 cup whole milk

For the icing:

3 tbsp milk

4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided and at room temperature

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the base of an 8-inch round, 3-inch tall baking pan
with parchment paper and lightly grease the sides.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and
spices; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes on
medium speed. Add egg and beat until smooth. Beat in molasses until blended and
mixture is somewhat fluffy. With mixer on low, add one third of dry ingredients
followed by half of the milk. Add half of remaining dry ingredients and then
the rest of the milk. Finally beat in the last of the dry ingredients until you
have a smooth, thick batter.

Scrape batter into prepared pan, spreading it out evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, combine milk and one tablespoon of butter in a small
saucepan over low heat until melted. Add brown sugar, golden syrup, spices and
salt and stir until dissolved. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a
gentle boil. Continue to cook at a low boil for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour mixture out into a metal bowl and let cool completely, placing it in the
fridge to speed up the process. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of soft butter to
the bowl with the cooled syrup and beat with electric hand mixer until smooth
and creamy. Spread over cooled cake and serve immediately.